xXInkedPhoenixX

OMG!!!! SOOOO MANY BABBIIIEESSSSSSS!!!!

I would also say don't use anything with "fix" in the title. You're better off using Aquarium salt than any of that. (also welcome to the forum. 😁) (if you already added it to the water and decide to remove it just do some SMALL water changes over the course of a few days and remove it, or put carbon filter in if you use an HOB)

Thanks everyone very much for the kind words and well wishes for me and the fishes (ha!). I am truly hoping over time Red gets at least a bit better. He must have been highly damaged to have needed so much time to even get to where we are. I feel really bad for the little guy. I know his future home of the 4.12 gallon Aquatop isn't entirely ideal but it's 1 gallon more than what he has now- it will be TONS warmer, and a far more established tank than what he's been housed in here so far. I think this might help his recovery more. It's just going to be a while before the 12 gallon gets built (hopefully I'll only need 6 weeks tops before the other fish can start moving in). Then I'll tidy up the Cube and move Red in. If he improves more and needs extra space to move about an upgrade would certainly be in his future. White we've decided is moving into the 12 gallon when it's ready. Koianu is far too fat and happy to move from the Accidental Oto Tank.

Oh and this, yes, me too!

@Odd Duck thanks for pointing it out, WOWIE! What an awesome tank @Jungle Fan, love the moss! I aspire! I am DOUBLY glad you are better!

LOL! I wouldn't have seen any of it, really! Well, but for the photobombers- who could ignore them? Ok Cool. So you dry started that tank or at least the moss? I really love the look I hope I can accomplish this! Soaking the Spiderwood! - but I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to strap this baby down!

@Odd Duck Thanks much for the info! I guess it's a little late now for me because I already pulled the trigger on the Java. I'm going to paint it on the Spiderwood (if I can get it to grow longer that would be awesome!) and with your info I will also try some of the rocks, maybe even where I plant to put the EcoComplete as it's rather porous and grippy. Then I guess we'll see where the Moss grows (or doesn't). I have Subwassertang actually, and it's in 2 of my tanks. I love the stuff. I fully plan on using it in the new tank. What I was thinking in the Medieval theme is buy (because I'm not a DIY'er for most things I like stuff to look pretty and most of the time I can't make these sorts of things look pretty) some suction shelves I see on Etsy, designed as a Betta shelf or Moss shelf I will thread some of the Subwassertang through it and let it hang like creepy seaweed/neglected ruins.

I'm looking forward to maybe someday having a Betta Sorority- that's something I'd like to try in the future. So does the tank you plan on adding the fish to have the Betta in it then?

WOW! What a planner you are! Love it! Welcome to the forum @wackbards! I don't have any suggestions (though I'm sure you could add at least a couple more Hillstreams). I look forward to seeing this tank! 🙂

@Minanora @nabokovfan87, thanks! I think I'm just going to chop it up and then add some water and attach via "painting". I have a food processor but not sure with a small amount I could get it to be the right consistency anyway. I've got knife skills. Looks like it would work either way based on both your experiences so I'll be in the middle! 😄

@Chick-In-Of-TheSea ah ok, well since I've sucked at all of them it's not going to matter! Hahah! I saw the guy do it so I'm going to try it. What I can say is the place I'm getting it from, and the dry start method I'm using- I do't need reverse respiration. Plants won't be in water for several weeks and these are grown out of water (the ones I've ordered).

Clearly I'm motivated to just get this project going. I bought Java Moss per some recommendations online for easy grow- should be at my house Saturday. @Chick-In-Of-TheSea what do you do to "process" it? One guy on YouTube said he chopped it up "like cilantro" and painted it on. I'm thinking of just putting it on my spider wood for tree "foliage" Which means when I get home that piece of wood is going in water ASAP.

Ember Tetras for a schooling fish. You could get many more of them than you could Harlequins as they get rather large.

Yes! I just saw this on YouTube this morning and I think I want to try as I've never been able to get moss to grow in my tanks (always died 😞 ). I'll have to find some though so maybe I'll venture out to my LFS on Friday and take a look. I'm putting down an awful lot of money for plants I've failed at before this is the last time!😄 @redfish I am using other tank lights on my 3 standard tanks that do the 24hr modes and the morning ramp up and night time modes are really nice. @Patrick_G yes the Repens I've never tried. I think I'm just going to put it in one section of the tank and I may only try to separate it into 3 or 4 at most sections. I'll see when I get the plant out of the pot. Anyone have suggestions on a moss?

Oh I did fail to mention that on my walks I've kept my eyes peeled for decent looking rocks. Usually having at least 1 pocket full by the time I get back. They may not all get used but I've got a decent variety going so far. This week I also found a good sized rock that I believe would help hide some equipment and look really nice in the tank. It might be TOO big as far as taking up space but if it works I might have to shrug at its size. It's beautiful wet. There is a small portion of it that looks like it might have been spray painted or gotten something black on it, so I'm going to take some sandpaper to it or rub it up against cement and try and get it off or see if it's part of the rock (certainly doesn't appear to be). That is not pictured but this is the rock and the little ones I found on that day. Me carrying a small boulder must've looked funny to passersby...oh the things we do for our tanks.....

@Minanora yes, I'll be using Fluval Stratum- it was readily available locally. I will also be using EcoComplete that I already have on hand but I will not be mixing the two. I'm going to be creating a "floor plan" of sorts- areas where the Stratum will sit for the carpets and then Eco Complete in the other areas where hardscape and rhizone plants will sit. This way if the carpets fail I'll still have some change/interest around the bottom of the tank/substrate.

OK peeps, this is happening. I haven't gotten the tank yet from my mailing address (read: parental unit's house), the light is also there- but they will be picked up Wednesday night. As it happens everyone in my family is doing their own thing on Thanksgiving so I will be alone (don't feel sorry for me I've done THIS a million times due to my work schedule) on Thursday and the TANK BUILDING WILL BEGIN! Between bites of turkey and Stovetop stuffing I'll be working on this project (yes I'll still be cooking!- and I don't care what ANYONE says Stovetop stuffing is hands down the best stuffing) With @Patrick_G's encouragement (can we call it that? can I blame it on you later if it doesn't work?) I am going to attempt for the 3rd time a carpeting plant. I decided if I fail I'm going to DOUBLE fail and try TWO different kinds of carpeting plants. Monte Carlo (which I've tried and @Patrick_G suggested) and Staurogyne Repens. I'm hoping dry starting the tank is what keeps me from failing this time! I don't know if I can be as patient as Patrick but I decided I'd give it a month to grow in. That might be my patience limit for it. I'd like to get my QT tanks emptied and fish moved around sooner rather than later. I'm sure my QT fish feel the same way if they were given the choice. IF though I see that maybe it needs more time and it's going well I might be able to squeeze out another week possibly 2. I'm impressed by the specimens I got so here's hoping they have a chance of making it!:

Serket the female GloBetta does a thing. Every time I open the Flex9 lid she's right there at the top. Last night she and I played a game of "boop". I'd tap the water near her, she'd swim off and come back and we'd do it again. I actually did after several times manage to lightly "boop" her on the mouth. She didn't seem to mind, just came back for more games. I think once she figured out I wasn't giving her anymore food she decided to just hang a little lower but still watched me. The lights are off so not the best pic in the world....

Hey Betta fans, Just a short update- not much going on for now with my last 2 patients. Technically now they are not really patients. Not having had any Prazipro on hand (I swear I thought I did) I did a round of Paracleanse on Red Crowntail (as it has praziquantel in it along with metronidazole the latter he already has had a round of). this didn't seem to have any effect on Crowntail just managed to cloud his water up. He's been off that since and no longer medicated. He still stays mostly at the top of his tank but I have seen him lower than the waterline a few times just not for very long. I'm not sure if he's still having bouancy issues or not- not a clue what to do for little one now other than just time and good water. He LOOKS healthy just doesn't act entirely like a normal Betta. His color is better and his spirit seems up. He mostly likes to hang out on his Betta leaf and eats, as he has always, very well. This pic was taken last night the lights are low but you can see his color is better: White Twintail Halfmoon still good. Last night he was hiding under his floaters which seems to be his very favorite place to be, usually have to coax him out from under to find his food at feeding time: Right now, we're all just in a holding pattern until tank 6 gets built....

My Betta Koianu has been doing a good job of keeping the worms off the glass and bottom of the Accidental Oto tank- there used to be a TON of them in there from an IMO bad plant order.

Welcome to the forum @Kamen_Kaiju

Hope you don't lose any more of them! What about fry powders?

@TheSwissAquarist his body isn't black, just his shell. I'll post about the Bettas on the Colossal thread in the next couple of days.

Lovely!! I so want a Koi pond. ...makes one wonder what those were lol!

This is Serious Black (no association with either metal band nor Harry Potter, however if you draw those conclusions we're ok with it) so named because he is seriously black in color (shell clearly not his body). Serious is a male Nerite in my Accidental Oto tank. I don't see him very often despite it being bare bottom tank with not a whole lot of places to hide- but he manages. He allows me to see him from time to time for a head count....